Dr. Fava obtained his medical degree from the University of Padova School of Medicine and completed a residency training in endocrinology at the same university. After completing a residency training in psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital, he has been Director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program since 1990 at the same hospital. Under Dr. Fava's direction, the Depression Clinical and Research Program has become one of the most highly regarded depression programs in the country, conducting research projects in a variety of areas, including pharmacotherapy of resistant depression, neuroimaging, genetics, neurophysiology, neuroendocrinology, novel pharmacotherapies, alternative medicine, and psychotherapy.

Dr. Fava has authored or co-authored more than 400 original articles published in medical journals with international circulation. He has also edited six books, and published more than 50 chapters and 500 abstracts. Dr Fava is also a well-known national and international speaker, having given more than 200 presentations at national and international meetings during his career in psychiatry. He is currently Executive Vice Chair for the Department of Psychiatry, Director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program, Executive Director of the Clinical Trials Network and Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.